41 comments on “Bikeway Types”

Leo Horishny

I understand chipseal is here to stay and maintains roadways.
However, if it’s placed on roads with bike lanes, it should also cover the bike lanes. The chipsealing of El Rancho from Oddie to the El Rancho Drive In tapers off within the existing bike lane and currently leaves the bike lane even rougher than a chipseal coating evenly applied.

Lemmon Drive has no bike lane but yet Military Road has a bike lane.Both streets are heavy volumed roads that most people are skeptical riding bicycles on now because an accident involving a young man losing his life.Lemmon Drive should have a designated bike lane to help reassure bicyclists that they are a bit more safe.I realize that Lemmon Drive is a pretty long road but think about the next life YOU might be saving.Rest in Peace Kevin,your smile and legend will live on in all those who were blessed to have met you.

Philip Moore

For me, the most important connector would be on Terminal Way between Neil and Plumb. There is a great bike lane on Airport Way to get you from South Reno to the airport, and again the bike lanes in downtown. However, there is a big gap as you go around the airport. The road there is very narrow and people regularly go above the posted speed limit of 35 mph. I am not sure the plans for widening that road, but when that happens I hope that we can get bike lanes!

Mark Lowenstern

It would be great if there was a bike lane on Mt. Rose Hwy from Callahan Road at least up to Galena Forest Estates. (about one mile) Right now, the road narrows and it’s to dangerous to ride the very narrow shoulder.

Greg

I think that’s great that bike projects have been started in Sparks more recently. Previously Sparks has always been very poor in bike accommodation, with the one exception of Oddie east of Sullivan. Sparks has so many car-only designed roads, with very little or no shoulder. The city is in dire need of as many bike projects as possible.

I’ve been hearing about taking bike lanes out of the plans for the re-vamped S. Virginia St. I live in the south and there are plenty of times I take alternatives to get to town. But when I commute into town I want the fastest artery to get me there in the shortest time. More and more cyclists are becoming commuters as the City works harder for our safety.

I hope the RTC re-examines bikes on Virginia. We’re not all out there for a leisurely jaunt, many of us are just like cars, needing to get to work in the shortest distance and the fastest time possible.

The bike lanes that are being cut in all over the south of town are fantastic. I saw a couple of cars pulled over on Damonte heading west before the driveway into the WalMart center. They were next to the curb and not inside the bike lane. Great, intuitive planning that works in realtime!

The SE corner of Longley turning onto S. McCarran, http://tinyurl.com/Longley-SMcCarran has a great lane if you continue N on Longley, takes you away from the right turn traffic. Primo!

But if you want to turn E onto S. McCarran the bike lane disappears, though it looks like there is plenty of room for one. And why would we want to go that direction on S. McCarran? Could it be to get to the Mira Loma BIKE PARK about a mile away?

Jeremy Bryan

Separation of bicyclists and pedestrians. Cyclists and motorists who both know the laws and share the road responsibly. Clearly marked bike lanes on major thoroughfares.

* What do you love about walking and biking in the Truckee Meadows right now?

Year-round opportunities to bike. Initiative to become more cyclist friendly.

* What needs improvement?

More consistent bike lane development. Cleaning of the bike lanes and shoulders, it is really bad right now. McCarran should have a dedicated bike lane around the entire loop. There are some parts through Sparks (under I-80) that are downright scary.

Lee Murray

How about Plumas street between Plumb & Moana? Sounds crazy, but how many cyclists use that section of roadway? Compare it to the new traffic diet on Arlington. Very few cyclists ever used (and ever will use) Arlington. I ride Plumas Street all the time. While I have decades of cycling experience and am comfortable riding amongst the cars, I know many, many people, both adults and children, who are afraid of that section of road. They can’t even ride to the County Tennis Courts. I am even nervous about pulling my toddler in the trailer to get him to Preschool: I won’t use that section of road, and yet it’s 1/4 mile down the street from my house.

Lee Murray

Effective bikeways need accomodate all riders. The needs of those who are out for an easy cruise are different from those who are commuting and or exercising. A bike path is useless if it is clogged by people walking, and running. I’m not sure how sucessfull the “B” street bike path is. We are supposed to be treated like a vehicle. If I have to stop at every street crossing, I’ll just use the roadway, where I’m already legally entitled to ride. A good expample is the bike path on the west shore of Lake Tahoe. It crosses the highway so many times, it becomes dangerous. If you are, say. trying to ride around the Lake (a very popular ride), you waste too much time & energy stopping to cross the highway. A simple shoulder would be a better soloution.

Robin Dechent

First of all I want to say how important it is to make the Reno/Sparks area more bike/pedestrian friendly. Biking and walking are win-win situations. It’s healthier, it’s significantly more cost effective, and should be a right for everyone to be able to chose these methods of transportation and feel safe doing so.
I find it a shame that it is virtually impossible to ride safely through our city. It is a place where you almost, need to have a car to live an average, comfortable life. I hope this project implements a significant amount of infrastructure to make it safer for current riders/walkers and to encourage more people to do so.

Leo Horishny

C Hartland

I would like to see totally separate bike lanes next to roads like Vista and Pyramid Highway. They have a really great arrangement for separate bike lanes in Anchorage,Alaksa, where the bike lanes are at least above the curb, like a very wide sidewalk. These are usually paved with asphalt rather than in concrete. Sometimes they are away from the road even more and some of them go through parks and they are dirt. In winter, these bike lanes become cross country ski lanes, thereby offering double duty use.

Jerry Hapgood

I feel a striped bike lane running from Lakeside at Windy Hill, down Holcolmb Ln and continuing on Thomas Creek Rd would be a welcome change and would improve overall traffic safety. This corridor receives a significant amount of bicycle traffic and is one of the main north-south travel routes used by commuting and recreational cyclists. It also showcases a beautiful area of Reno to visiting cyclists.

Leo Horishny

Wow, I don’t know where you live Robin, but I wouldn’t call the Reno/Sparks area THAT bike unfriendly. I’ve been commuting for over 2 years around here over thousands of miles a year.
It could be better, without a doubt, but it could be a WHOLE lot worse.

Leo Horishny

After viewing some of the road/bike lane treatments elsewhere, as I rode home from the public meeting I went up Rock Blvd from 4th and noticed the possible bike lane from Prater up to I street and from Oddie up 3 or 4 blocks until the lane fades away.
This whole section, from 4th to McCarran Blvd on Rock would be an ideal stretch to remove the white lines and place the sharrows markings in the right lane. This way both cyclists and motorists would know what to expect. This could be done now, if identified.

Rob

It appears all the proposed bike paths are in the Reno,Sparks corridor. But if you drive around the valley you notice bikes in other places also. It would be nice to have a bike path on a couple roads out North of town also. Like maybe Red Rock rd. Everytime I see a bikers on that road taking their life in thier hands it makes me sick. The road is not wide enouph for bikes, cars, and big trucks. It would be nice to have a big bike path for saftey reasons at least from the Shell station to the next subdivision down the road. That way bikers have less of a chance of getting hit, Then if the bikers wish they can take their chances on the rest of the road. It is just a matter of time before someone gets killed.

Anonymous

More bike routes should be created on west side of town heading towards Downtown Reno, starting from Mayberry Dr and also from Plumb Ln. It could be a continuation to the California Ave/Arlington Ave road diet.

Rich

One stretch of road that deserves consideration for an expanded shoulder or bike path is Lakeside Drive, from Windy Hill south to Thomas Creek. This is THE main thoroughfare for anyone riding for any distance from north to south on the west side of SW Reno. You cannot ride or drive on this section of road without seeing a cyclist, and unfortunatley the road has no shoulder in most areas. There is sufficient space to easily pave some additional shoulder. Thanks

Mark

I would like to suggest that the Prater/4th Street roadway be included in the planned bicycle lane improvements. I commute daily from Sparks to downtown Reno. It is quite a busy street and is really the only direct route from Sparks the downtown reno area. Prater/4th street also somewhat bisects the McCarran loop, allowing a safer commute/ride through the Reno/Sparks area.

LEE WARNER

Steve Hammond

After hearing about the recent meetings I thought I would put in some thoughts on enhancements for the south end of Reno.

Lakeside Drive – Lakeside drive south of McCarran has long been a popular cycling route for those riders who want to ride further after the Plumas bike lanes dead-end. Over the last three years I have seen an ever increasing bike commuter presence on Lakeside as riders use it to connect to Huffaker or Holcomb Ranch to get to work on the other side of 395. The road could definitely use bike lanes from McCarran south to Holcomb Ranch road (ALTERNATE – one solution for Lakeside if bike lanes cannot be offered would be a paved path through Bartley Ranch & Anderson Parks. This would alleviate Lakeside traffic AND give an alternate route south to Huffaker and Holcomb Ranch).

Eastlake Road – Washoe Valley is very popular with cyclists (especially on the weekends). The typical route is old 395 on the west side of the valley and Eastlake Road on the opposite side. Eastlake has a State Park at the south end of the road that attracts boaters and RV’ers; big vehicles that deter cyclists. The north end of Eastlake is mostly residential with no shoulder on the road. This road is prime for a bike lane.

Leo Horishny

One of the anonymous complaints actually has a point. Where there is a wide shoulder to the right of traffic lanes, there should be markings if it’s a bike lane and an assumption that it’s an emergency lane if there are no bike markings.

That way, when cyclists are in the traffic lane, no one can complain that they’re blocking traffic since they’ll be on the roadway where they should be traveling and not in the emergency lane no matter how wide that is.

Tracy

The improvements on Vista from north Los Altos to Wingfield Springs are great. Extending the bike lane south from south Los Altos all the way to I-80–and then down Gregg would be fabulous.

On Sparks Blvd., extend the bike lane from Baring to I-80. The bike path from Baring south is do-able, but it’s awkward to get to it since it requires much crossing of intersections (Sparks @ Baring) and then crossing into the middle of Sparks to pick up that portion of the path. Then crossing Sparks yet again at the intersection near Legends/Wild Island. The path is a good effort, but even the kids going to Reed High School don’t use what’s available. Instead they teeter on the curb in the center divide. But I digress…

Leo Horishny

I rode to Carson City today for the first time. It wasn’t that bad, but several points that would make that trip more cyclable:

The light on Kietzke at Redfield Pkwy nr. Claim Jumper is too short to safely pass through on a bicycle s/b Kietzke.

The Neil Roundabout is not safe for bicycles to travel from Kietzke to Neil towards S. Virginia. The lane markings are not clear.

I sat behind a car at Neil and S. Virginia that was to the RIGHT of the right turn lane [!?] Bike markings may have prevented that. Maybe not :-\

The markings from S. Virginia from Neil south are not conducive to safe cycle travel through the next light at the shopping complex.

Bike markings s/b S. Virginia would be helpful down to Foothill Drive.

The markings at South Hills Drive & S. Virginia are not safe for cyclists. You are funneled to the right side of the turn out, but then on the other side of the intersection the right lane markings are at the extreme edge of the roadway.

It would be helpful to have bike markings across the off ramp from 395S. to S. Virginia at Summit Mall. It is a 2 lane highway ramp that must be crossed by cycle traffic.

The shoulder on 395S at the end of Pleasant Valley just before the Eastlake Hill is VERY! NARROW at the bottom. Perhaps some sort of path/detour to the RIGHT of the guardrail there could be set up to safely get around the guardrail there? The 395N shoulder at that point is not quite as narrow as the S/B portion.

There is NO shoulder at the top of the hill at Eastlake Blvd. intersection!

Definitely some sort of Share the Road signs through Washoe Valley on Eastlake Blvd. would be reasonable as there is no shoulder for cyclists to use the lower speed route through the valley safely.

The stretch of Virginia N/B between the Mt. Rose Highway and the N/B 395 ramp there is totally unsafe for cyclists to pass through! There is NO convenient alternate to get from MRH to the other side of that 2 lane onramp currently. A bike lane is not necessarily the answer, but something should be done, imo.

Thank you.

Leo Horishny

Thank you for remarking S/B Kietzke at Lewis St.
The bike lanes from Kietzke s/b from Second to Moana should probably be addressed further though.
Apparently cars can’t stay off the left bike lane stripes!

Don Vetter

Spanish Springs is a very popular bike area with many loop-routes with bike paths or wide shoulders, However, there are two missing links On Pyramid highway from Sunset springs to Calle De La Plata. There is little or no shoulder and very fast traffic (many with boats and trailers.) This creates a hazard for riders trying to connect to the Calle De La Plata bike lanes. Second safety concern is La Posada from Pyramid Highway to Cordoba in both directions. Small shoulder busy traffic. There appears to be plenty of right-of-way. Thanks

Richard Grefrath

Recommendation: Improve the Tahoe Pyramid Bike Trail on W. 1st Street just west of Arlington, another bottleneck. Currently, the bike trail is routed onto what is often a busy sidewalk adjacent to the river. Really, even though bicycling on the sidewalk is illegal in Reno.
My solution: There should be painted bicycle lanes in the street, on W. 1st Street. Eliminate the motor vehicle parking on the north side of W. 1st Street and make it “No Parking” from Arlington to the Greyhound Station.

Please consider Cadillac Place for bike lanes. Motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists use the one block long street going to and coming from Virginia Lake Park. The east end of the street intersects with South Virginia Street and the west end is close to the park.

Tracy

Dennis

As an avid bike rider I don’t think bike lanes are the way to go. They only impede traffic and cause problems. If you want to make completely seperate bike paths that would be great such as the one in downtown Sparks. I avoid bike lanes at all costs due to driver inattention causing them to weave in and out of the bike lanes. Bikes can share the road with cars without designated bike lanes.

Rob

Moira Shea is spot on. We should be developing toward a model similar to Copenhagen. There is no question that they are doing the right thing for everyone. The relaxed atmosphere is beneficial to pedestrians, cyclists, the environment and most importantly to those driving cars as well!

In the bike lane on Manzanita Lane, in front of house # 1530 on the south side of the street, there is a very poor patch job on a rectangle of pavement that is about 18X30 inches. It interesects the bike lane and is mostly outside the bike lane in the path bikes ride when there are parked cars, which there often are. The replaced pavement is several inches lower than the surrounding pavement. This is a safety issue, since cyclists are descending when they pass here, and the lower pavement is often in shade and hard to see. Since there is paint on the pavement, indicating paving soon, just a little way down the street, can they PLEASE fix this too?

Joseph DeLappe

These new bike lanes are great! I’ve been bike commuting to UNR for years from the South West. Now there is finally a safe way to get across the Truckee not to mention navigating California Ave and Arlington.

Two locations I would suggest for future bike lanes. Plumb lane from Lakeside to Hunter Lake.

It is also astoundingly treacherous to ride a bicycle to UNR from just about any direction. One can generally get within two blocks of UNR before you take your life into your own hands. The area surrounding UNR is extremely dangerous for bicyclists and pedestrians alike. I hope the Reno Sparks Bike Plan is working with UNR to solve this problem. One solution would be a bike lane on Evans Avenue, hundreds of cyclists use this road daily as it is flat and wide and bypasses most of the insanity of downtown traffic.

Also, to all those drivers complaining about going from four to two lanes – studies have proven again and again that there is no less traffic along changed routes. It may go a bit slower but is safer. Left turn lanes do indeed prevent the ever present rear-enders on four lane streets – this is not speculation. Businesses in areas that have expressed concern over the change in the flow of traffic have been happily surprised as people are driving slower and thus able to better notice businesses. Etc., Etc., Etc. Please look at the change on Arlington – what before was like an expressway now feels like a neighborhood street – home values will undoubtedly go up. The benefits far outweigh any perceived inconvenience.

Finally to all those complaining of errant cyclists please understand that the ratio of drivers breaking the laws to cyclists doing so is unfathomable. On any given street where cyclist are riding motorists routinely ignore speed limits, roll through stop signs, run yellow lights, turn in front of cyclists, etc. Yes, there are those cyclists who do very stupid things – the amount of drivers who do so, however, is incomparably greater. We all need to take greater care on the roads.

Sig Jaunarajs

I wanted to echo the comments of J. DeLappe concerning bicycle access to UNR. This is one of the most pressing issues for the revised Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan to address. Accomodation should be made for cyclists and pedestrians entering the university area, particularly from the south and the west. Efforts could be made to connect with existing facilities where appropriate, such as the bike lane on Ralston Rd. or the pedestrian bridge across I-80 near St. Mary’s Hospital. Other natural corridors are University Terrace, W. 11th St., Evans Ave. or College Dr.

Planning should be coordinated with UNR and their Comprehensive Master Plan; last updated in 2004. Improved bicycle and pedestrian access to the university not only increases safety for students and staff, it helps alleviate issues with limited parking, reduces vehicle emissions in a congested area, and helps promote UNR’s goal of a “sticky campus”; i.e. greater connectivity and engagement with the surrounding community.

Kevin

Consider adding a bike lane from where the Tahoe Pyramid Bike Trail enters Mogul on Silva Ranch Road to West Fourth Street. Both as a driver and a biker I have had several close calls. The hill going to Verdi is steep with no bike lane and a double solid line placing both biker and driver in danger when the driver tries to pass. A lot of great work has been done to the east and west, however it seems like the Mogul Area is forgotten about and the area has a decent amount of traffic.

Ed

I agree with Lee Warner’s comment on the significant need for bike lanes on Plumas between Plumb and Moana. Good work on the Bike lanes on Arlington, but there is no way to get further south safely because Arlington ends and you are forced to take Plumas south without bike lanes.

A second totally unworkable area for bicycles is South Virginia from the Mount Rose Highway intersection north past Summit Mall and under Hwy 395 and the various interchanges. That area is a bicycle nightmare